The Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves matched up in the playoffs for the third time in four years. With both teams having championship aspirations, many consider it as the most anticipated first-round matchup.
The teams first met in the first round in 2023, where the top-seeded Nuggets won the series in five games and went on to win the championship.
The two teams met again in 2024 during the second-round matchup, when the the No. 3 seed Timberwolves upset the No. 2 seed Nuggets in seven games.
Now, in 2026, a rivalry is forming as the two meet in a No. 3 seed vs. No. 6 seed matchup.
After falling in seven games last season to the eventual champion, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Nuggets are looking to return to the championship glory they achieved in 2023.
The 2025-2026 season has not been easy for the Nuggets, as superstar Nikola Jokić suffered a knee injury in December 2025 that caused him to miss 16 games, while key contributor Aaron Gordon played just 36 games due to multiple injuries.
Overall, the Nuggets are healthy and ready to go for the playoffs, but they are missing Peyton Watson, who averaged 14.6 points this season and has been ruled out for Game 1 due to a hamstring injury.
Minnesota has also had its fair share of injuries, but most notably, superstar Anthony Edwards has missed significant time over the last month dealing with a knee injury. The Timberwolves will need his full strength if they want to win this series, as Edwards averaged 30.3 points over three games against Denver this season.
Many may see the Timberwolves as big underdogs in not just the series but the entire Western Conference. People tend to forget that they made it to the conference finals in the last two seasons and could very well do it again, possibly entering the finals.
The Nuggets won the regular season series 3-1, including a 142-138 overtime thriller on Dec. 25, 2025, where they prevailed after Jokić dropped 56 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists, backed by 35 points from Jamal Murray.
With two teams that have plenty of playoff history and top superstars, this is anyone’s series to win and another Minnesota upset is not out of reach.
The Timberwolves will need to contain Jokić and limit his impact, while having Edwards ready to go and continue his successful play against Denver.
The Nuggets will need to continue running their top-ranked offense and take care of home court advantage, something they failed to do in 2024 when they lost three of four games in the series.
